Inspirational Geekhttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com
Inspirational & creative ramblings of a self-confessed geek - Things I like, things I find and things I’m doing.Wed, 31 Jan 2018 06:30:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngInspirational Geekhttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com
Merry Christmas!https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/merry-christmas-9/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/merry-christmas-9/#respondFri, 22 Dec 2017 13:00:01 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7549You’ll notice that I’ve been rather quiet on here of late. Both work and personal life have been all consuming over recent months, and despite a few attempts at writing or drafting articles none made it up to be actually posted.

I’m going to close out the year with a very amusing, if slightly NSFW, animation from Anomaly which is narrated by the notable voice of Patrick Stewart.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all, see you in 2018 for (hopefully) more regular posts!

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/merry-christmas-9/feed/0inspirationalgeekSmall World In Motionhttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/small-world-in-motion/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/small-world-in-motion/#respondFri, 29 Sep 2017 16:22:52 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7537Nikon have recently announced the winners of their Small World in Motion video competition this year (separate to their Small World Photomicrography competition) and the results are genuinely stunning.

If I didn’t know otherwise I would have said that any number of them could be human-made CGI or generative algorithms, but these are all genuine real life moments captured on film using varying techniques and degrees of magnification.

It was recorded using stereomicroscopy and shows between 5x and 40x magnification of a fingertip, to the point where you can actually see individual droplets of sweat appearing on the surface of the skin. Incredible!

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/robots-vs-music/feed/0inspirationalgeekClassic Toys Stamp Serieshttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/classic-toys-stamp-series/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/classic-toys-stamp-series/#commentsWed, 23 Aug 2017 19:12:55 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7509The latest stamp collection from Royal Mail has been released and it commemorates 10 classic British toys from the last 100 years as designed by creative agency Interabang.

I have very little to add to what Design Week have already published on these, other than wow – aren’t these just a stunning collection of stamps!

Each stamp is beautifully laid out, evoking pure nostalgia and childhood memories capturing what these toys were all about.

Each of the toys was sourced in the original packaging from the likes of eBay (and private collectors) and formed a prime source of inspiration for each stamp.

A mix of apt photography with period style graphics and text makes them an absolute joy to look at.

“The stamp design is about the toy, but capturing the essence of the world of the toy as well.”

Interabang director Adam Giles

If you have to push me for a favourite I’d have to say Spirograph, though both Meccano and the Stickle Bricks aren’t very far behind.

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/classic-toys-stamp-series/feed/2inspirationalgeekMatchbox Cars 1965https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/matchbox-cars-1965/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/matchbox-cars-1965/#respondThu, 22 Jun 2017 17:00:03 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7497Regular readers will know that I love a behind-the-scenes look at manufacturing processes, whether that’s Apple or a pair of scissors. But it’s even more true when it comes to a product that I’ve owned many of during my childhood.

I’m also willing to bet that most people (certainly in the UK at least) have owned, played with, or collected many a Matchbox car over the years (they now look like this by the way).

My Dad was an avid collector with hundreds, if not thousands, of models so Matchbox is a very familiar brand that fills me with nostalgia even today, so this insight into their design process and production line is fascinating.

No 3D renders or CAD, just drawing boards and handmade wooden prototypes as part of the design process and production line to show how they were manufactured in mid-60s Hackney, London.

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/matchbox-cars-1965/feed/0inspirationalgeekCockpit Timelapsehttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/cockpit-timelapse/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/cockpit-timelapse/#respondFri, 09 Jun 2017 18:30:12 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7478With the number of flights I’ve taken this year well into double digits this incredible timelapse really resonated with me.

Not that I’m ever likely to see this view from a plane, so it’s all the more brilliant that pilot (and film producer) Sales Wick decided to capture it on a redeye flight from Switzerland to Brazil and share online.

And in case you overcome the pure awe of viewing it (full screen and HD a must!) and you wonder which areas you might actually be flying over he has kindly overlaid the information!

For those of you paying particularly close attention those moving specks of light are not always other planes, some are indeed shooting stars! Stunning!

Full info on the video and recording technique on the Beyond Clouds site here.

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/cockpit-timelapse/feed/0inspirationalgeekEndless Loophttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/endless-loop/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/endless-loop/#respondFri, 02 Jun 2017 16:03:10 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7454Wow this might be the longest period of time without a blog post in the last few years – 6 weeks! Both work and personal life has been incredibly busy and so apologies to those of you eager for more Inspirational Geek!

I’ll ease back into it gently with a simple but utterly mesmerising GIF of a robotic arm and a toy train. Don’t worry if you have a pang of mild panic each time the train looks to run out of track – you’re not alone.

And if that isn’t enough then there’s a 10 minute (higher quality) video version of the endless loop here from its creator Christian Schürch.

Most OS or computer programmes require them in one form or another to let you know that whatever it is you have asked the software to do is actually being done or processed. But a lot of the time they represent a “digital limbo”, offering little information into the actual progress of the task and often just implying that your computer has crashed.

Borne from the frustration of this, Raphael Vangelis (who admits to spending of his life “swearing at the computer because it’s crashed or isn’t working”) created this incredible animation, capturing well known loader icons and turning them “into something analogue and playful”.

The result is an homage to all the lost time we collectively spend in digital limbo in the hopes of sudden development on our screen.

How many can you recognise?

I got about half of them. The rest I either didn’t recognise in time, or was simply mesmerised by the detail involved in crafting each one!

I certainly do not have the patience or tenacity involved for such detailed stop motion animation. Bravo, Raphael!

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/analogue-loaders/feed/0inspirationalgeekOne Line Animalshttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/one-line-animals/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/one-line-animals/#commentsFri, 31 Mar 2017 18:48:32 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7385It’s been a little while since my last post (work and personal life has been incredibly hectic), but following nicely from the Arabic Animals we have another animal-based graphic series.

The techniques used by graphic design studio DFT gives an almost overly simplistic representation, yet they manage to convey such lot of detail entwined within each.

Taking the time to “remove what’s not substantive” they are left with a single stroke that captures the animal.

The illustrations all your eye to naturally fill in gaps or interpolate the missing information with what it thinks should be there, completing the picture and adding depth.

A lack of shading on the illustration of the two elephants doesn’t prevent you from seeing that the baby elephant is in the foreground of the adult elephant.

The flowing lines naturally lend themselves to alluring to the idea of movement and fluidity.

The “distinctive unbroken line style” is at the core of everything they approach so be sure to check out more of their work here, particularly the Iconic Sneaker series.

]]>https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/one-line-animals/feed/1inspirationalgeekArabic Animal Lettershttps://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/arabic-animal-letters/
https://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/arabic-animal-letters/#commentsFri, 24 Feb 2017 17:16:15 +0000http://inspirationalgeek.wordpress.com/?p=7414Egyptian designer Mahmoud Tammam has a strong Arabic influence in much of his work and his most recent typography project is no different.